Princeton's Tigers Purr Into Cambridge Today

Harvard and Princeton share 2-1 Ivy records, only a half game out of first place. Sounds like today's game should be a good one.

Over the past three seasons, during which the Tigers have scored two wins and a tie with the Crimson, the teams have been divided by a total of only six points. Sounds like today's game should be a good one.

Princeton's senior quarterback Bob Holly has completed 80 of 141 passes for 990 yards and three touchdowns. Harvard's junior quarterback, Ron Cuccia, although not able to claim passing stats as flashy as Holly's, is one of the Ivy League's most exciting football players. Sounds like today's game should be a good one.

Should be a...

Enough is enough. The 1981 version of Princeton football can at best be claimed as anemic. Although averaging 309 yards a game on offense, the defense has been on vacation in Hackensack, allowing 443 yards a week and a total of 158 points through five games. That's more than 30 per, if you're averaging. In what is one of the Ivy's worst football years in recent memory, Princeton has decided to go with the flow.

And as for Harvard. If Princeton is anemic, then Harvard is anomaly. It has played five games, and they have jumped out to first quarter leads in five games. Unfortunately, three times those leads have melted away. Just last week, the Crimson offense clicked for ten points before the clock had ticked for 15, but by the time the gun sounded for halftime, Dartmouth was up 14-10, and in the lead to stay.

The Harvard offense has looked very good at times--most notably, Cuccia and running backs Jim Callinan and Jim Acheson--and at other times hasn't been able to carve out any drives worthy of mention. If it can't do it against porous Princeton, it never will.

The defense, aside from sophomore linebacker Joe Azelby, who's been outstanding, has been equally unpredictable. The defensive backs, reputedly the league's best, failed to stop Dartmouth's slick sideline outs last week. The defensive line hasn't put that much pressure on opposing passers.

Holly will frazzle the defensive backs all afternoon if he's got time to throw. And the Princeton receiving corps is a good one.